Poland in Albania

In addition to representatives of the General Directorate of Fire and Rescue Services of the Republic of Albania, the General Directorate of the National Civil Protection Agency, the Albanian Fire Protection and Rescue Association, and the mayors of the three beneficiary cities, the firefighters themselves were also present at the ceremony. Fire trucks furnished with modern equipment will significantly increase the ability to respond quickly and effectively in situations of natural disasters and catastrophes.

The handover of fire trucks is the next stage of the project "Strengthening the Capacities of the Albanian Fire and Rescue Service" carried out together with UNDP - thanks to the donation of the Government of the Republic of Poland to Albania, which after the tragic earthquake provided EUR 2.7 million as part of the donors' conference.

The project includes a number of activities supporting and aimed at strengthening fire and rescue services in the beneficiary municipalities. From training fire brigade personnel, providing personal protective equipment and providing containers with search and rescue equipment for earthquakes in urban areas, the project aims to equip municipalities with the necessary logistics to effectively respond to crisis situations.

The main elements of the project include:

• Training for 377 firefighters from 26 municipalities,

• Delivery of 169 sets of uniforms for firefighters in 8 municipalities,

• Delivery of three containers with search and rescue equipment for the municipalities of Fier, Durrës and Lezhë,

• Construction of two fire stations in the municipalities of Fier and Pogradec,

• Providing technical assistance in amending the Act on fire protection and rescue,

• Purchase of three fire trucks.

Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Albania M. Zuchniak-Pazdan, in her speech and conversations, drew attention to the fact that the financial contribution of the Government of the Republic of Poland is an expression of friendship and solidarity with Albania, and the donation of EUR 2.7 million makes Poland one of the largest EU donors for the reconstruction of Albania after the tragic earthquake. Ambassador emphasized that the Polish side together with our partner UNDP, is convinced that the project "Strengthening the Capacities of the Albanian Fire and Rescue Service" will have a long-lasting impact on the potential and ability of Albanian firefighters to effectively respond to natural and man-made disasters.

The Minister of Internal Affairs, T. Balla, thanking the Government of the Republic of Poland for the help, pointed out that the donated equipment is of key importance for increasing the overall response capacity of both local and national institutions in the face of disasters.